A2 THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021
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7 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday
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Deschutes County cases: 5,962 (6 new cases)
Deschutes County deaths: 60 (1 new death)
Jefferson County cases: 1,962 (2 new cases)
Jefferson County deaths: 28 (zero new deaths)
Oregon cases: 156,037 (269 new cases)
Oregon deaths: 2,225 (13 new deaths)
GENERAL
INFORMATION
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
ONLINE
108 new cases
120
(Jan. 1)
90
new
cases
110
*No data
available on
Jan. 31
due to state
computer
maintenence
(Nov. 27)
7 ways to help limit its spread: 1. Wash hands often with soap and water for
at least 20 seconds. 2. Avoid touching your face. 3. Avoid close contact with
sick people. 4. Stay home. 5. In public, stay 6 feet from others and wear a cloth
face covering or mask. 6. Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or cough into
your elbow. 7. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
90
70
50
(Nov. 14)
7-day
average
28 new cases
(July 16)
40
31 new cases
(Oct. 31)
30
16 new cases
(Sept. 19)
20
(May 20)
1st case
100
80
47 new cases
9 new cases
www.bendbulletin.com
130
(Dec. 4)
What is COVID-19? It’s an infection caused by a new coronavirus. Coronavi-
ruses are a group of viruses that can cause a range of symptoms. Some usually
cause mild illness. Some, like this one, can cause more severe symptoms and
can be fatal. Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
60
COVID-19 patients hospitalized at
St. Charles Bend on Monday: 12 (zero in ICU).
541-382-1811
BULLETIN
GRAPHIC
129 new cases
COVID-19 data for Tuesday, March 2:
Crook County cases: 776 (1 new case)
Crook County deaths: 18 (zero new deaths)
PHONE HOURS
SOURCES: OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY,
DESCHUTES COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES
New COVID-19 cases per day
10
(March 11)
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Lottery results can now be found on
the second page of Sports.
First case of Brazilian variant
confirmed in Douglas County
BY CARISA CEGAVSKE
The News-Review
The first case of the Brazilian
variant of COVID-19 has hit
the West Coast — in Douglas
County.
Douglas County Public
Health Officer Bob Dannen-
hoffer confirmed Tuesday that
a Douglas County resident has
tested positive for the variant.
“Local Public Health shares
in the worry with the CDC,
OHA and the entire scien-
tific community, that the
COVID-19 variants could
be more infectious, perhaps
more deadly, and maybe less
well controlled by our current
vaccine,” the Douglas County
COVID-19 Response Team
said in a press release Tuesday,
referring to the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Pre-
vention and the Oregon Health
Authority.
Public health officials are
also awaiting results of other
samples that were sent to the
CDC for gene sequence DNA
testing for COVID-19 variants.
The Brazilian variant, also
known as P.1 became known
after it fueled a record-breaking
case spike in the city of Manaus
in the Amazon. Scientists say
it has reinfected people pre-
viously immune from having
contracted the original virus.
Ten cases have previously
been found in the U.S. They
were in Alaska, Florida, Mary-
land, Minnesota and Okla-
homa.
The Douglas County
COVID-19 Response Team
said the case found here was
confirmed Monday night.
It appears to be related to
business travel outside the
United States to and from Bra-
zil.
Public health officials fear
that an increase in the number
of cases will put more strain
on health care resources and
could lead to more hospital-
izations and deaths.
What this means for Doug-
las County residents is that
“rigorous and increased com-
pliance with proven public
health recommendations” is
essential to limit the virus’s
spread, the response team
said.
Those recommendations
include getting the COVID-19
vaccine, physically distanc-
ing from others not in your
household, wearing masks
and face coverings, hand
washing properly and fre-
quently, staying home when
you are sick, and going into
isolation or quarantine if you
become infected or are in con-
tact with an infected person.
Sen. Wyden takes lead in urging
continued aid during pandemic
BY PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden
and nine other senators urge
President Joe Biden to support
new rounds of direct payments
and supplement unemploy-
ment benefits until the U.S.
economy returns to pre-pan-
demic levels.
The senators made their
pitch Tuesday as the Senate
begins work on its version of
Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic
recovery plan. The House
passed it, 219-212, on Satur-
day . Congress hopes to send a
plan to Biden before current
unemployment benefits end
March 13.
Included in the plan are
another round of direct pay-
ments of $1,400 — following
amounts of $1,200 and $600 —
and weekly supplemental un-
employment benefits of $400.
The current benefit of $300
per week ends March 13, and
the House-passed plan would
boost it, but only through Aug.
29. Wyden and Biden want an
extension through Sept. 30.
Biden is preparing to pro-
pose another long-term relief
plan, which Wyden and the
other senators hope to influ-
ence.
“This crisis is far from over,
and families deserve certainty
that they can put food on the
table and keep a roof over their
heads,” their letter said. “Fami-
lies should not be at the mercy
of constantly shifting legisla-
tive timelines and ad hoc solu-
tions.”
Wyden, a Democrat, leads
the tax-writing Finance Com-
mittee. Among the other sign-
ers were Sens. Sherrod Brown,
a Democrat from Ohio who
chairs the Banking Committee,
and Bernie Sanders, an inde-
pendent from Vermont who
chairs the Budget Committee.
Wyden has argued that un-
employment benefits should
be tied to economic conditions.
The senators argue that both
types of support are needed.
“Unemployment insurance
EOMG file photo
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.,
speaks at a town hall meeting in
Bend in 2018.
has replaced lost income for
millions who have lost their
jobs,” their letter said.
“But millions of others do
not qualify for unemployment
insurance after seeing their
hours reduced, switching to
lower-paying jobs, or tempo-
rarily leaving the workforce
to care for family members
during the pandemic. Direct
payments are crucial for sup-
porting struggling families
who aren’t reached by unem-
ployment insurance.”
They cite an Urban Insti-
tute study that 12 million peo-
ple can be kept out of poverty
through a $1,200 direct pay-
ment, supplemental unem-
ployment benefits and other
assistance, and 6.3 million
more people can be kept out of
poverty with another round of
direct payments.
They also said there is wide-
spread public support for their
position, based on an online
survey of 600 people by David
Binder Research between Feb.
18 and 21. The sampling found
58% in support of assistance
based on economic conditions
— 57% from Democrats, 60%
from Republicans and 59%
from independents — as op-
posed to 35% wanting to leave
it to Congress. Of those polled,
53% supported their continua-
tion until the economy returns
to pre-pandemic levels; 43%
until the economic downturn
ends.
The margin of error is 4 per-
centage points.
In the House, both the Con-
gressional Progressive Caucus
and the New Democrat Coali-
tion endorsed “automatic stabi-
lizers” for COVID relief.
The New Democrats listed
it as their top priority last year,
saying, “Including automatic
stabilizers would enable the
rapid disbursement of assis-
tance and funds where needed
most without any additional
congressional action or admin-
istration roadblocks if negative
conditions persist or worsen.”
The Progressive Caucus called
for “ensuring financial assis-
tance lasts the duration of the
crisis through automatic trig-
gers that tie assistance to eco-
nomic conditions.”
Other senators who signed
the letter, all Democrats, were
(in alphabetical order) Tammy
Baldwin of Wisconsin, Michael
Bennet of Colorado, Cory
Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten
Gillibrand of New York, Ed
Markey of Massachusetts, Alex
Padilla of California and Eliza-
beth Warren of Massachusetts.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Local couple will help
match donations
A local couple has agreed to
match donations up to $5,000
for MountainStar Family Re-
lief Nursery, a child abuse
prevention organization in
Central Oregon. The prom-
ise is being made to honor the
5,000 children the organiza-
tion has served over the past
20 years.
Donations will be matched
until March 31, according to
MountainStar.
MountainStar staff have
worked with 5,000 children
up to 5 years old and with
more than 20,000 parents
and family members in child
abuse and neglect prevention
programs, the organization
said in a press release.
To date, MountainStar has
successfully kept 98% of chil-
dren in its program safe from
confirmed cases of abuse and
neglect.
The organization opened in
April 2001 in Bend and has ex-
panded to Madras, Prineville,
Redmond and La Pine.
To celebrate its 20th anni-
versary, MountainStar is ask-
ing supporters to share their
stories and hopes for children
and families served through
the program.
Stories and messages about
MountainStar can be shared
by contacting Kevin Donor at
development@mtstar.org.
Free subscription for
Bend-La Pine Schools
With spectators unable to
attend school athletic events
due to COVID-19 safety
guidelines, the Bend-La Pine
school district has decided to
offer free online streaming of
games.
Through the National Fed-
eration of State High School
Associations Network, all of
the district’s four high schools
will livestream their football,
volleyball, soccer and basket-
ball games. Previously, viewers
would have to pay a monthly
subscription fee to be able
view the games. Here’s how to
register for access:
• Create a free account
https://www.nfhsnetwork.
com/users/sign_up
• Click ‘Subscribe’ in the top
right corner of the page
• Enter Bend-La Pine
Schools or your high school in
the “Find your school, event,
association” box, for example:
Bend Sr. High School
Note: There is no need to
select either of the paid sub-
scription options; you will be
allowed free access to select
high school regular season
home games.
Man sentenced for
driving at police
The Madras man who
crashed into a police car in
January, prompting a police
officer to fire his gun 12 times,
has pleaded no contest to
felony charges and was sen-
tenced Tuesday to time served
and three years probation.
Jordan Wayne Abbe, 30,
received only minor injuries
and was taken to jail on suspi-
cion of eluding police, reckless
driving and two counts each
of unlawful use of a weapon,
menacing and reckless endan-
gering. He pleaded no contest
to two counts of unlawful use
of a weapon.
In exchange, his case was
transferred to mental health
treatment court, where he will
have to abide by certain treat-
ment conditions.
Just before noon Jan. 6,
two Madras Police Depart-
ment officers, Ryan Kathrein
and Mel Brown, were parked
outside a business in Madras
when Abbe, driving a Chev-
rolet Monte Carlo, entered
the parking lot at high speed
and skidded circles around
their patrol vehicles. The of-
ficers followed Abbe through
nearby residential streets, at-
tempting to pull him over be-
fore he crashed into Kathrein’s
vehicle on NE Oak Street.
As Brown approached Ab-
be’s stopped vehicle on foot,
Abbe stared at Brown and
revved his engine, a witness
told police. At this, Brown
fired his service weapon.
Jefferson County District
Attorney Steve LeRiche later
determined that Brown’s use
of force had been justified.
— Bulletin staff reports
STATE BRIEFING
La Pine man one of two
fatally shot in Portland
William “Billy” Peters, his
fiancee, mother, brother and
friends had gone out to the
Acropolis bar Saturday night
in southeast Portland after
celebrating his 4-year-old
daughter’s birthday earlier
that day.
Others in the group had al-
ready left when Peters and a
friend — Adam David-Law-
rence Arrambide, of La Pine
— were fatally shot in the
strip club’s parking lot as they
were trying to leave.
“They went out for a quick
drink and never came home,”
said Brandon Krupp, a friend
of Peters’.
Portland police confirmed
Tuesday that Peters, 40, was
shot and killed outside the
Acropolis in the 8300 block
of SE McLoughlin Boule-
vard. Police were called at
11:30 p.m. to the club on a re-
port of two people shot.
Peters died at the scene,
police said. Arrambide, 36,
died Sunday at a hospital.
No arrests have been made
in the double homicide. It’s
not clear what led up to the
shooting.
— The Oregonian